Swiss digital ticketing company FAIRTIQ is making its UK travel debut by providing the technology that powers the Government’s latest digital pay-as-you-go trial.
In partnership with the Department for Transport and Northern Trains, passengers travelling on the Sheffield-Doncaster line can now benefit from simple and easy access to rail ticketing thanks to FAIRTIQ’s technology. Instead of needing a physical ticket, registered passengers use their mobile phone to simply swipe once and travel, then swipe again to end it.
FAIRTIQ’s tech is already live in ten other countries, including national systems in Denmark, Switzerland and Austria, and has been used for over 330m public transport trips. In Denmark for example, whose population is similar in size to Scotland or Yorkshire, FAIRTIQ’s 5*-rated app is used for half of all public transport journeys across all modes (Train, Tram, Bus and Subway) in the country.
Because FAIRTIQ’s technology uses GPS to track journeys, it is hardware-free with no need for time-consuming installation of expensive infrastructure like card readers or gates. This means it can be rolled out rapidly – the Danish nationwide multi-modal system was launched in just six months.
If users forget to swipe out at the end of their journey, the app will detect they are no longer using public transport. Users will either be sent a reminder, or their journey will be ended automatically if they have enabled FAIRTIQ’s Smart Stop feature. Either way, travellers will only be charged from their last station, with no penalty fare to the end of the line unlike some other payment systems.
The app will also display a barcode at the touch of a button to enable rail staff to check the tickets, or to pass through any ticket gates. Other app features include discount pricing, with six Railcards initially live in the UK scheme.
Steve Broadley, UK Market Lead for FAIRTIQ, said: “Our proven technology has been used successfully across Europe for many years, and we’re delighted to be bringing the benefits to rail passengers in South Yorkshire. It couldn’t be easier to pay for your travel using our app: simply swipe once before you start your journey, then swipe again at the end.
“Not only does this make train travel easier, but it also eliminates common bugbears for passengers and operators alike. Users no longer need to queue to buy a ticket or worry if their ticket is valid for the train they are on. Meanwhile staff can easily check tickets, and our sophisticated anti-fraud systems use AI at scale to detect suspicious travel behaviour and protect revenue.”
Gian-Mattia Schucan, Founder and co-CEO at FAIRTIQ, said: “We’re excited to add the UK to the list of countries where our proven technology provides passengers with easy access to public transport. This initial scheme covers rail journeys but with our extensive experience providing multi-modal travel, including complex national and cross-border schemes, we believe this will be just the start of our UK operations.”
Passengers travelling on the Sheffield-Doncaster line, including stations like Rotherham Central and Meadowhall, can register by visiting the dedicated page on Northern Trains’ website. In addition to Northern Trains, users can also travel within the trial area on TransPennine Express and CrossCountry services. All participants who register this year will be rewarded with £15 free travel credit added to their account.
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Notes to Editors
To use FAIRTIQ’s technology on the Sheffield-Doncaster route, users will need to visit https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/tickets/pay-as-you-go to register and download the “FTQ Lab” app. In most other countries, travellers use the separate FAIRTIQ app to buy their tickets.
The FTQ Lab app is only currently valid for travel on trains between the following stations: Sheffield; Meadowhall; Rotherham Central; Swinton; Mexborough; Conisbrough; and Doncaster.
About FAIRTIQ: With over 330 million trips completed, FAIRTIQ has established itself as the global leader and pioneer in postpaid ticketing and digital pay-as-you-go (DPAYG) solutions. Serving more than 1.6 million active users each month, FAIRTIQ operates currently in eleven countries—Austria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden, Netherlands, France, Germany, Italy, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and the UK. The platform provides regional coverage in 25 areas and national coverage in four, making public transport more accessible and user-friendly. More than 100 leading public transport operators and authorities rely on the FAIRTIQ solution and our rapid international expansion continues to attract new users worldwide.
How FAIRTIQ works: Passengers download the app, start it with one swipe before entering the rail station and receive a valid ticket without having to enter their destination. When changing trains or modes, the app automatically recognises the change and continues to monitor the journey. When the passenger arrives at the destination, they simply swipe to end the journey. If they forget, the app sends a notification or automatically ends the journey.